Now in its 33rd year, L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests have just successfully released volume 33 which immediately hit national bestseller lists, including USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal. “While we are very excited to have another bestseller,” stated John Goodwin, President Galaxy Press publisher of the series, “what most thrills us is that we have 12 new writer winners plus 2 finalists who are now national bestselling authors.” Writers of the Future was a contest initiated by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 as a means of providing a helping hand to aspiring writers. Due to its immense success, a sister competition, Illustrators of the Future, was created.

The annual contests draw entrants from around the globe and are free to enter. Winners retain full rights to their work and each are given cash awards. Grand prize winners receive an additional $5,000. The Contest flies out all winners to Los Angeles for an expense-paid, week-long workshop given by Contest judges and culminates in a black tie gala awards event. (Photo attached featuring all winners and judges on stage.)

Writer judges constitute 24 of the biggest names in sf&f—several having gotten their start from the Contest—and include David Farland as the Coordinating judge, along with Kevin J. Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Eric Flint, Nnedi Okorafor, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer and Sean Williams. Winners are chosen on merit alone—all the judges will see is the story and its corresponding entry number assigned—and contest administrators only learn specifics of the winners once judging has been completed. The same procedure applies to the illustrators contest. This year, winners were selected from eight countries.

“L. Ron Hubbard had a real passion for helping the newcomer long before creating this contest in 1983, which included producing several articles of sound advice to the neophyte and sponsoring an earlier writing contest even while on an expedition in Alaska in 1940,” Goodwin said. “That Mr. Hubbard directed for the contest to continue being funded by his estate shows his continued dedication to the craft of writing and of science fiction and fantasy as a whole.”

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests have each been honored with “The Publishers Weekly Outstanding Achievement Award” and the “Library Journal Award of Excellence” for continued work in discovering, fostering and nurturing careers of aspiring writers and illustrators.

Visit Galaxy Press at booth #1725 Thursday, between 3:00–4:00 PM for their Writers of the Future reception and receive a complimentary copy of Writers of the Future Volume 33.